


Worthless

by irlquicksilver



Category: Final Fantasy XV
Genre: Am I going to wait for its release? no, Anxiety, Are you ready for this boys because I sure fucking am, Blind Character, Blind!Prompto, Eye Trauma, Game Spoilers, Gen, Heavy Angst, Hurt/Comfort, Is episode ignis going to stray far from how this is going? yeah, My hobby is denying canon too late to stop now, Self-Hatred, Tags and such will be updated, let's go
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-10-31
Updated: 2017-11-02
Packaged: 2019-01-27 00:19:52
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,557
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12569456
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/irlquicksilver/pseuds/irlquicksilver
Summary: Then, there's nothing but red, the only sound is Ardyn's maniacal cackling mixed in with the sound of his own screaming. The only thing he can feel is Ardyn's hand tight around his chin, with Prompto's own hands weakly trying to remove him. There's so much burning pain, so, so much...





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> OH BOY WHO ELSE IS SCREAMING OVER THE EPISODE IGNIS TRAILER?????
> 
> Tbh Episode Ignis probably won't go ANYTHING like this but you know what? I'm way too deep into this. So here you go.
> 
> ANYWAY, my friend and I came up with this AU, and I happened to stumble upon this lovely art by Pxal on Tumblr coincidentally so! I got the motivation to actually write it!: http://pxal.tumblr.com/post/157130246221/my-friend-blackie-blackiedont-on-twitter
> 
> I don't remember the layout of Altissia off the top of my head so if anything is wrong here I'm sorry! But, please enjoy this anyway!

He's _sick_ of the feeling of water on him.

 

Rain? He can handle it. Taking a bad tumble into a puddle? Totally fine. When it's raining and he's taken _multiple_ bad tumbles into a Gods damned ocean? Not fine. He can't handle this.

 

Prompto barely catches himself from slipping off the Magitek....rocket thing. Honestly? He doesn't know what it is, but it's served it's purpose in getting his best friend close to the water serpent that is currently destroying Altissia as if the country was merely a Lego house. He'll take it. The gunman steadies himself and pulls out his pistol.

 

The plan is to get the citizens to safety and to meet up with each other while Noctis gets Leviathan's blessing. Bonus points if they kill a bunch of Niffs on the way, and Prompto _loves_ bonus points. With no clue of knowing where Ignis and Gladio are, and with no means to contact them, Prompto sets off into a random direction. He recognizes his path as towards the middle of town, where normally the great fountain of Leviathan would stand for tourists and natives a like to stop by and make wishes.

 

Prompto is going to _kill_ whoever wished for the covenant to go this awry.

 

He rounds a corner, and curses softly when he sees a group of Magitek Axemen. He readies his pistol, and shoots down one that was running straight for him. The others are alerted, and Prompto shoots them down, too.

 

He yelps as he sees an Axeman that has gotten too close to him swing its axe down upon him, he barely rolls away. In the process, he slips and falls onto its side. The damn rain. He rolls onto his back and sits himself up, shooting and shooting at the Axeman until it falls to the ground dead.

 

Prompto sighs, standing up fully and continuing his journey, hoping to see at least _one_ familiar face within this destroyed town being bombarded with rain. He looks up at the sky, he can see Leviathan in all of Her glory. He stops, absolutely transfixed, Her blue scales shine against the rain. It's...glorious.

 

Noctis is seriously going to fight Her? Prompto makes a mental note to defend his best friend from now on whenever Ignis gets on his case for not eating his vegetables.

 

“Beautiful, isn't she?” A voice says from beside him. Prompto yelps, backing away and pointing his gun at his new guest.

 

When he wished for a familiar face earlier, this is _not_ what he meant.

 

“I really do detest all this rain...” Ardyn says with a shake of his head. He has a smile on his lips, a smile that can send chills down maybe even The Immortal's back himself.

 

“What are _you_ doing here?” Prompto spits. Ardyn's smile seems to grow wider.

 

“I'm merely spectating the most historic of covenants,” He says with a wave of his hand, gesturing to the Sea Goddess. He frowns at Prompto, “My boy, do put your gun away...we don't want to cause an accident in the family.”

 

“What the hell do you mean “family”?!”

 

“We're both from Niflheim, aren't we, my dear?”

 

Prompto stops, gritting his teeth. How the hell does he know that? He's made sure to keep his past as vague as possible, and has gone to great lengths to make sure the bracelet around his wrist never ever leaves his body. He tightens his grip around his pistol.

 

“How do you...”

 

Ardyn leans down, amber eyes meeting blue-violet. Prompto backs away, his hands around his gun trembling.

 

“It's quite easy to tell,” The Chancellor remarks, “You look so much like Chief Besithia in his younger days.”

Prompto swallows, sweat rolling down his cheek, “ _Who?!”_

 

Ardyn makes a mock face of surprise and straightens up, linking his own hands with each other as he smirks down at Prompto.

 

“Never mind that,” He dismisses, and Prompto growls.

 

“Like hell I won't mind that!” He snaps, “Who is this “Besithia” asshole?!”

 

Ardyn shakes his head, “How quickly the young forget. It's rather sad, forgetting your own family like that.”

 

“He's not my family!” Prompto yells, “My family was back in Insomnia! I had two, loving parents! We were fine...they were fine...they were fine until you attacked and ruined our lives!”

 

“You're forgetting a key factor here, Prompto,” Ardyn hisses, and the gunman shivers at the sound of his own name coming from the man's lips, “You're _adopted.”_

 

The blonde audibly gasps, and his gun lowers just an inch.

 

“How the hell do you know everything about me?!” He demands, “What are you trying to get at?!”

 

It's like Prompto blinks, in an instant Ardyn is gripping him by his chin. It's like the failed attempt at the Cauthess Rest Stop, except Ardyn has now successfully made contact. He draws him closer, the smirk making Prompto feel nothing but sheer, unfiltered fear.

 

“Tell me, you're the one who likes snapping away on that silly little camera, yes?” He asks, and like Prompto is nothing but a puppet, tilts his head up and down like a nod, “You know, you weren't my first choice, I was actually going to go after that dear Advisor of yours, however....”

 

The Chancellor pulls out a pocket knife, and Prompto can't help but stare at in terror.

 

“...I am a fan of situational irony,” Ardyn continues, “Now, don't be afraid to scream. No one will hear you anyway.”

 

The knife draws painfully close to the gunman's eyes, and Ardyn chuckles.

 

“Now how much of a malfunction can you really be?”

 

Then, there's nothing but red, the only sound is Ardyn's maniacal cackling mixed in with the sound of his own screaming. The only thing he can feel is Ardyn's hand tight around his chin, with Prompto's own hands weakly trying to remove him. There's so much burning pain, so, so much...

 

The sounds around him fade out, the red slowly turns into a dark crimson and Prompto's hands fall to his sides.

 

Black.

 


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A part of him hoped that when he woke up, it'd be revealed to be a cruel dream. That he would wake up perfectly fine in bed, with Ignis and Gladio right by his side. But when he wakes up, reality hits him like the cold rain that plagued Altissia the day before.

“....eyes.....who could have caused such damage?”

 

“....damn well who.....I'll bet all the Gil.....all of this”

 

“I know full well....”

 

The first thing Prompto is aware of is, of course, the voices that sound like they're a mile away. The second thing he's aware of, is that he's...warm. It's a sharp contrast to the cold rain he was just in....a minute ago? An hour? Who knows. He certainly doesn't.

 

He groans, twitching his fingers and feeling the soft mattress beneath them. There's shift from somewhere above him, and a gentle hand is on his shoulder.

 

“...mpto.....awake? Prompto!” A familiar voice is calling to him. Through his sleep muddled mind, he knows it to be Ignis. He groans again, his mouth feeling as dry as the ground of Leide. There's a soft whisper above him, and a few seconds later water is slowly being served to him.

 

“I....Iggy...” His voice cracks, and then Prompto notices. It's dark. Like, _really_ dark. What time is it? It's pitch black. There's a gentle squeeze on his shoulder.

 

“Yes, it's me. Gladio is here too.” Ignis informs, and there's another hand placed on his other shoulder.

 

“Hey, kid.” He hears Gladio greet, “How are ya feelin'?”

 

“Like crap.” Prompto says bluntly. He feels himself force open his eyes, and there's a sound of someone sucking in a breath. Gladio, maybe? He doesn't focus on that. It's still oh so very dark, but he feels that his eyes are open.

 

“...Why is it so dark?” He asks, and there's a soft sigh from Ignis, “What's goin' on, guys? What time is it?”

 

A memory strikes him, and he tries to sit up before Ignis gently pushes him down.

 

“How did it go with Leviathan?” He asks, “Where's Noctis? Lunafreya? A-Are they okay?”

 

“Prompto, we're all fine.” Ignis reassures him, “Please, lay down. You'll want to, once we explain everything.”

 

Begrudgingly, Prompto obeys and lays down.

 

“Noct's okay.” Gladio says, and Prompto breaths a sigh of relief, “Managed to get Leviathan's blessing and everything. It...took a lot out of him, so he's resting up. It's been a day since we found you passed out.”

“A day?” Prompto repeats, “Huh. It feels like a blink of an eye to me.”

 

A word flashes through his mind. Irony? Where did he hear that? And why is he thinking of it now? The memories of apparently yesterday haven't caught up to him.

 

“...Lunafreya has unfortunately passed.” Ignis says slowly, and Prompto's world falls apart, “She was murdered during the Trial of Leviathan. We have reason to suspect Ardyn is the culprit.”

 

He doesn't care about that part. Lunafreya, the _Oracle,_ and Noctis's fiance is _dead._ After all they did to get Noctis to her...after they wandered the city for more than an hour trying to find her wedding dress, to give hope to Noctis...everything they did was for nothing. Prompto chokes on a sob, and he looks away.

 

“...Oh, Gods...” He mutters, “Noct...he's gonna be so...he's gonna feel _awful.”_

 

The room falls quiet for a moment, Ignis squeezes his shoulder gently and Gladio pats his shoulder before walking off somewhere. Across the room, perhaps? It's still too dark to tell. He turns his head back to how it was, and opens his mouth to ask what time it is once more, but Ignis clears his throat.

 

“Prompto, what I'm about to tell you may shock you, but I want you to remain calm, do you understand?” He asks softly. Prompto nods slowly.

 

“When we found you...” The Advisor continues, “...You were unconscious on the ground, grievously injured. We barely rescued you and treated your wounds but...the damage is permanent. Most of the damage was done to your eyes. Both of them.”

 

Prompto lets Ignis's words run through his head over and over again. Like a wave coming to shore, they wash over him. He remembers...screaming, and laughter; and a smile that sends chills down his very spine. Slowly, he raises his hand and feels his cheek, and sure enough, he feels a scar.

 

“...Iggy....am I....?” He can't finish his sentence, and it seems Ignis can't find his words, he's quiet for a moment.

 

“....I'm afraid so, Prompto. I'm so, so sorry.”

 

He feels tears roll down his cheeks, and soon he's crying softly. The hand on his shaking shoulder never leaves.

 

 

* * *

 

At one point or another, Prompto falls asleep. The hand on his shoulder is firm and gentle, so it helped in lulling him into a much deserved rest after his breakdown.

 

A part of him hoped that when he woke up, it'd be revealed to be a cruel dream. That he would wake up perfectly fine in bed, with Ignis and Gladio right by his side. But when he wakes up, reality hits him like the cold rain that plagued Altissia the day before.  
  


He wakes up to the smell of something warm, and sweet. Someone is helping him sit up, and he allows himself to be pulled up.  
  


"Hey champ," Gladio is saying, "Iggy cooked lunch for ya. You up for it?"  
  


Prompto nods, his stomach growling in agreement. There's something placed in his lap, enveloping his body in a soothing warmth.  
  


"I've made Green Curry Soup," Ignis says, "Eat up, but take it slow, all right?"  
  


"...T-Thanks." Prompto whispers. He feels around for a spoon, and starts when something is tapped on his arm. Prompto opens his hand, and something cool and metallic is placed in his hand. He nods a quick thanks, and places his arm around the warm bowl, relying on his sense of touch to tell him where everything is. They fall into a comfortable silence after that, with Prompto assuming Ignis and Gladio are watching him.  
  


"...Is Noct awake yet?" Prompto asks softly after a few moments.  
  


"I suspect he'll be awake within the next day or so." Ignis explains.  
  


"Yeah, Leviathan did a huge number on him," Gladio adds, "He's been passed out ever since."  
  


"Ah." Is all Prompto can say. The memories of yesterday and beyond take his appetite away like a rug being pulled from under him. He puts his spoon in the bowl, not knowing how much he ate, "I'm done. Sorry, I lost my appetite suddenly."  
  


"It's perfectly all right." Ignis says, and the warmth is taken away from him. There's a soft noise from somewhere next to him. The tray being put on a bedside table? He doesn't know, and he wishes he does. There's a dip by the foot of the bed, someone is sitting by his feet.  
  


"So what now?" Prompto asks after a while, "Noct has Leviathan's blessing, Luna is...gone, and I'm..."  
  


He brings his hand up to his face again, feeling the scarred skin. He rubs it lightly, maybe if he rubs it enough, it'll go away; and this will finally be revealed as a dream. Someone takes his hand gently and puts it down on the bed.  
  


"Don't do that," Gladio says, "You'll rub it wrong."  
  


Prompto nods, and the hand is taken from his wrist.  
  


"After Noct wakes up, we'll try to leave as early as possible," Ignis explains, "We're taking a train to Niflheim's capital to reclaim the Crystal."

 

“We...already got a pair of shades for you.” Gladio continues, “And a walking cane. Think you'll need it?”

 

Honestly, Prompto doesn't _want_ a walking cane. He doesn't want to feel more useless than he already does. But, what would be worse: having his friends guide him like some lost puppy or take the cane and risk a fall? He bites the inside of his cheek, knowing the answer already.

 

“...Yeah. I-I'll take it.” It's all catching up to him so quick. He's fucking _blind._ He can't _see._ His heart leaps to his throat, and he feels himself stiffen.

 

“Prompto, are you all right?” Ignis asks, “Does anything hurt?”

 

“...Oh, Gods....” Prompto whispers, feeling himself start to shake, “I-Ignis..I-I...how am I...how am I supposed to _fight?_ Or take pictures? I can't fucking _see_. Oh, Gods, Ignis...”

 

Before he knows it, he's curling in on himself, tugging at his own hair as a sob escapes him.

 

“Ignis, I'm useless!” He exclaims, “I can't fight or do anything anymore! What...what am I supposed to _do_...?”

 

There are firm hands on his arms, and they're slowly being tugged away from his hair. A warm, large hand is rubbing circles into his back, and he only cries harder.

 

“Prompto, it's going to be all right.” Ignis is saying, his voice is smooth and gentle; with only a small hint of despair hidden behind it.

 

“We're all here for you, kid,” Gladio adds, “You're not useless. It's gonna be okay.”

 

Prompto only sobs harder. It's...so difficult to believe. He can't do either of the only two things he's good at. What use can he be?

 

But the hands on him never leave, and they ground him. Comforting him. Somewhere in the back of his mind, he wants to believe everything is going to be okay. They've been through so much together, all four of them as a team, supporting each other through thick and thin. Everything has to truly be okay.

 

It has to be.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I had a few rough issues with how to end this, but now I perfectly know how to go about the next chapter, at least! I hope you enjoyed this, and please stay tuned for the next chapter, featuring Gladio being a dick on the train. Everyone's favorite, right?


End file.
